Notes / Commercial Description:
"Bush Prestige starts out as Bush Ambrée, which instead of being stored as traditionally in stainless steel vats is matured in oak barrels for a period of six months.

During bottling, a small quantity of sugar and yeast is added to the beer, which, placed in a hot room, causes refermentation in the bottle that gives it a natural cloudiness and a particularly high alcohol content of 13%."

Reviews by brentk56:

Appearance: Pours a cloudy amber color with lots of yeast in suspension from the get-go despite resting the bottle for a considerable period of time; the foamy, fizzy head builds and drops quickly without much sticking to sides of the chalice

Taste: Starts out with fruit flavors of pear and apricot, that are quickly joined by the toffee and vanilla elements with alcohol forward; after the swallow, the bourbon elements arrive and complement rather than dominate the earlier, more delicate flavors; the finish is long and flavorful

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with considerable foaming that goes on within the mouth; hot finish - 13%

Drinkability: Definitely a beer to sip and contemplate; quite a concoction

More User Reviews:

Appearance  This poured out a deep, dirty brown in color with some hints of orange and an explosive head. It just had that nasty look about it.

Smell  Theres a lot of wood and caramel in this nose. Its mixed with some light alcohol. Theres also an awesome musty sense here that IMO really makes the nose and gives it that nasty smell to go along with the nasty look.

Taste  The malts are gianormous at the taste and are just pounded with heavy Belgian caramel flavors. Holding this in your mouth takes you to a whole nother level of sugar, this time kind of bready like pie crust with a bit of milk. Im thinking apple pie a la mode.

One more bob into the barrel presents another level of thicker malts along with some candied sugars. Man, if youre a malty sugar lover this one has it all. The light alcohol, found throughout, lends a sense of refinement to the flavors.

Mouthfeel  This is medium-bodied and very smooth. The carbonation I thought was a bit too much and clashed with the heavy malt character, but that was about the only fault to be found in this ale.

Drinkability  This is a smooth, big, and sweet Belgian Ale that was a treat to explore.

Comments  This is one of the few times that I HAVENT been disappointed with dropping some tall dollars on a beer, so I was surprised to see that others didnt exactly fall over for it as I did.

A: Fascinating color that mixes different shades of brown and orange with golden hues. Could perhaps be labeled as rusty. Very hazy, the last pour resulted ridiculous amounts of floaters in the glas. A medium sized cream colored head that is really creamy and lasts throughout the experience. Nice lacings.

S: Fresh fruits (apples, pears, grapes), yeast, dough, fudge and caramel. Some notes of oak. Some alcohol. A dense and rich smell with some champagne qualities to it.

T: Plenty of sweet fresh fruits up front. Apples, pears and grapes. More sweetness is added by gentle notes of caramel. A very subtle floral note. A nicely defined oak character does a great job framing everything. A somewhat phenolic taste of alcohol appears in the finish.

M: Very very smooth texture. Great mouthfeel from the foam. Medium body.

D: I liked this one. Complex and rather balanced. The 13% ABV is well hidden, but is still just a little too prominent in the finish. Considering it's rather sweet, I don't think I'd like to consume a whole 750 ml bottle of this myself, but I'd definitely try it again if I had the opportunity.

Beautiful packaging: a 750-milliliter corked and caged bottle in a box, accompanied by two Scaldis mini-snifters. Pours a rusty orange color, completely hazed from the bottle conditioning. Carbonation is very active (like Champagne), creating a tight, über-creamy white lace with incredible head retention. Smells like an orchard, with apples, pears and a soft &#64258;oral blossom in the nose. In the back is a strong, golden raisin aroma. Distinct oakiness, solvent alcohol notes and some mild caramel ups the ante. Fluffy and creamy on the palate; silky smooth. Complex as hell, with candied tropical fruits, golden raisins, dabs of caramel, green apple, and a big oaky twang backbone. Suggestions of smoke and a boozy, white lightning-like
alcohol.

Dangerously drinkable for a 13 percent, but this is a snif&#64257;ng and sipping beer, so we did, and with every sniff and sip, the beer evolved. It's worth seeking out, and the price is worth it. By far one of the most inviting and complex beers this year.

A - Pours a light, soft yellow. 1/2-finger head of fluffy, tight, slightly off-white foam quickly falls to fine lace across the surface. Beer is a sunset apricot-orange that's cloudy and mostly opaque. There's a thick column of bubbles rising from middle of the bottom of the glass.

S - Very rich, light caramel and malts. Notes of quite ripe tree fruits like pear, but not sugary sweet. Hints of vanilla and brown sugar. As it warms, a muted tangerine-lemon whiskey appears with just a touch of smooth woodiness. Overall, nose is pretty muted.

T - An incredibly complex mix of caramelized malts, figs, apricots, and caramel-covered Granny Smith apples. Undercurrent of liquor throughout. High ABV is well-hidden, but present in the same way it is in a rich, well-structured wine. Almost becomes a dark fruit brandy as the flavors ride the oaked malts. The thoroughness of the blend almost defies deconstructing it into constituent parts.

M - Fizzy and rather crisp. Exceptionally well-integrated structure. Medium body, on the lighter side, but definitely not thin. Moderate finish that leaves a warm spot in the tummy and non-cloying echoes on the back of the tongue.

O - After reading a review that asked whether a single bottle of beer could really be worth $40, and concluding that it could, I decided this would be the New Year's Eve beverage rather than the traditional champagne. What struck me most about this bottle was how complex the marriage of its flavors are, and how fruit-forward they are without being at all sugary sweet. I'm not sure taking tasting notes on the side of other activities really does this beer justice; it seems to almost demand full, slowly paced concentration to reveal every possible nuance it has to offer. I can't say this is a beer I'll make a point of having again, as its style isn't one I immediately gravitate toward, but without a doubt, this bottle was well-worth experiencing simply because of its exceptional quality and complexity. It would make quite a gift for anyone who truly appreciates an epicurean experience.

Very good beer, but i am hesitant to spend the money on this bottle without first aging one for a few years. ridiculously expensive, more than it should be. I actually prefer the scaldis noel and its half the price. But dont let the price take away from the brew. It is probably the most drinkable 13% abv beer you will find. almost no alcohol on the finish, a great belgian strong with light and dark fruit flavors as well as oak scents. pours slightly hazy but quite clear with a large head ( relatively speaking). smell reaks of scaldis! suprisingly fuzzy mouthfeel. great warming effect. wait for this one to kick in before popping another because it will hit you later than you think. great brew, a bit overpriced but still way less than that coach purse your girl wants for christmas! ask for it.

Glad I finally got to try this ridiculously overpriced beer after seeing it on the Rose & Crown chalkboard for about a year, marked up to roughly the price of a small house. Consumed at a bottle share thanks to an unknown awesome person.

Pours a cloudy amber-brown color with a medium-sized yellowish head, and chunks. Sorry, but chunks just don't do it for me. This isn't a bowl of Chunky Monkey, it's a beer.

Aroma is fairly vinous and sweet, with notes of port and cognac, oak, vanilla, and Belgian yeast.

Flavor is very fruity and sweet. Red wine, port, cognac, sweet cherries, apples, raisins, oak, and vanilla. Yeast also has a noticeable presence. It is fairly complex, but not quite as awesome as all these flavors might make it sound.

Overall though, not quite as good as the price would lead me to want it to be. If I were a magician, the "prestige" of my magic trick would be throwing this beer in the "bush." Just kidding, but it did underwhelm me a bit. Good thing I didn't pay for it myself.

But this beer feels less like beer and more like carbonated calvados. I'm serious. It really tastes like someone mixed soda water and calvados.

I guess that isn't a bad thing, lots of oak, lots of apple is a good taste. And the bubbles are very small and fine, so there is a lot to be said for that. Plus that thin mouthfeel backed by ample carbonation so I guess one would describe it as "creamy".

A nice experience. From the people that drank it with me, it has broad appeal. People who liked beer, thought it was good. People who liked wine thought it was good. People who just plain liked to drink thought it was good.

But I, the guy who paid for it, didn't think it was great. A beer for celebrations and sharing. Less a beer for personally enjoying.

Bottle: Poured a cloudy dirty yellow color ale with loads of sediment and a large pure white head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of sweet Belgian malt with notes of light toffee and some dry astringent oak. Taste is quite complex with some sweet apples notes, some sweet Belgian malt, light warming alcohol dry astringent oak. Very complex but still enjoyable and quite easily drinkable. Body is full with limited filtration and great carbonation with minimal alcohol. Very well done but not sure I would have this very often considering the price tag.